NEWS
Saint Peter’s University Hospital Expands Midwifery Services to Lakewood and Surrounding Communities
June 3, 2024
Information Session: Wednesday, June 5th | Opening Day: Thursday, June 10th
New Brunswick, N.J. – June 3, 2024 – Saint Peter’s University Hospital, a destination for maternal health services in New Jersey, proudly announces the expansion of its midwifery services to Lakewood and its nearby communities including Jackson and Toms River. Opening Thursday, June 10th, Saint Peter’s satellite midwifery practice will be located at 500 River Avenue in Lakewood , the same location as Saint Peter’s Specialty Physicians. An information session will be hosted the day prior, Wednesday, June 5th at 10 AM. Attendees should note that the information session will be hosted by the New Jersey Chaplains Association at 199 Ocean Avenue in Lakewood.The hospital first introduced midwifery services in 2017 and it has continued to grow in popularity as women seek to have input and shared decision-making when it comes to their individual birth experience. Saint Peter’s certified nurse-midwives care for women from the beginning of their pregnancies through delivery but can also provide routine gynecologic care for women throughout their lives. In collaboration with a nurse-midwife, expectant mothers create a birth plan which acts as a roadmap for the birth experience. The plan makes it possible for women to document their preferences for how they anticipate the birthing process will progress, including birthing alternatives such as a medication-free birth by bypassing intravenous medications and epidurals, avoiding C-sections and episiotomies and the incorporation of birthing tools such as birthing balls or birthing stools that facilitate a variety of different positions for increased comfort. The birth plan also includes designating a support individual/s who will be present during labor and delivery and directions for acceptable medical intervention, should the need arise.
Expectant women experiencing a low-risk pregnancy can now conveniently see Saint Peter’s certified nurse-midwives in Lakewood during their pregnancy and deliver at Saint Peter’s University Hospital or
in Saint Peter’s Mary V. O’Shea Birth Center in New Brunswick.
Rena Klein, Saint Peter’s Patient Navigator, is available to assist interested parents by providing information about the role and scope of midwifery care and how to access services with a sensitivity and reverence for Jewish laws and observances.
The midwifery team in Lakewood will be led by Katelyn Rasmus, CNM, MSN, RNC-OB, CEFM, midwifery clinical director at Saint Peter’s University Hospital. Rasmus has a bachelor’s degree in Nursing from Rutgers University and a Master of Science in Nurse-Midwifery from Frontier Nursing University, the longest continuously enrolling midwifery program in the United States.
“I’m excited about the opening of Saint Peter’s midwifery services in Lakewood because it means we’re increasing access to midwifery care across the state,” said Rasmus. “It’s truly a privilege to be part of this profession, one that supports women in their quest for a more physiologic and supported birth experience.”
Joining Rasmus in Lakewood will be the Saint Peter's midwifery team. For additional information about Saint Peter’s Midwifery Services in Lakewood, please call 732.339.7879 or visit saintpetershcs.com/midwifery.
About Saint Peter’s University Hospital
Saint Peter’s University Hospital, a member of Saint Peter’s Healthcare System, is a 478-bed acute-care teaching hospital sponsored by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Metuchen. Saint Peter’s, which received its sixth consecutive designation as a Magnet® hospital for nursing excellence by the American Nurses Credentialing Center in 2020, is also state-designated children’s hospital and a regional perinatal center, and is a regional specialist in diabetes, gastroenterology, head and neck surgery, oncology, orthopedics, and women’s services. Saint Peter’s is the recipient of the Beacon Award for Excellence from the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses for the adult intensive care unit, neonatal intensive care unit, cardiac progressive care unit and the pediatric intensive care unit. The Children’s Hospital at Saint Peter’s University Hospital provides families with access to a full range of pediatric specialties, including a nationally recognized Level IV Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, pediatric surgery and orthopedic surgery featuring innovative anterior scoliosis correction. The hospital has the state’s only hospital-based, midwifery-led birth center – the Mary V. O’Shea Birth Center, accredited by the Commission for the Accreditation of Birth Centers. Saint Peter’s is a sponsor of residency programs in obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics and internal medicine, and is a major clinical affiliate of Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences. Visit saintpetershcs.com or call 732.745.8600.